Few students show up as classes resume in Batangas after Taal eruption

Many schools in Batangas resumed classes on Monday after weeks of suspension due to the eruption of Taal Volcano but only a few students turned up.

For instance, according to a report by Mav Gonzales in GMA News TV's Balitanghali,  only around 100 out of Laurel Central School's over 600 students showed up.

"Siguro nanibago sila sa bagong schedule namin. ‘Yung iba naman ayaw talaga papasukin ng magulang kasi nga kagabi lang medyo ‘yung ibang tagarito sa mababang barangay lumikas na naman," school principal Tomasa Garcia said.

"Bago sila tumuloy sa kanilang classroom oriented naman po sila saan sila pupunta, in case na lumindol. Sana huwag," she added.

The teachers and students shared their various experiences during the evacuation period as part of icebreaker activities.

Some parents stayed inside the school premises to be readily available if they would need to fetch their kids in case of an eruption or an earthquake.

"Pinagbabantay na po kami gawa ng malaki ang usok sa taas saka lumindol po kanina kaya sabi po bantayan na namin para po kung anuman po ang mangyari ay nandito po kami," parent Jolly Galicia said.

The school also accommodates students from areas that are still under lockdown. The morning shift is for its regular students while the afternoon shift is for students from Barangays Gulod and Buso-Buso.

The students will also have to attend Saturday classes to makeup for the lessons they missed in the past weeks.

According to the Batangas Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, around 50,000 evacuees took refuge in schools during the height of Taal Volcano's unrest. —Dona Magsino/NB, GMA News